The history of chairs goes back thousands of years. People have been sitting on things way longer than recorded history, but documents of man-made chairs start with a sculpture dating between 2,800 and 2,700 BC. The figurine depicts a person playing the harp as they sit in what appears to be a standard kitchen chair — a straight back and four legs.
Other historical evidence of chairs includes the Greeks’ klismos, a simple chair design featuring curved legs and a curved back. These chairs were created around the 5th century BC and remained popular throughout the 4th century BC.
In more recent history, architectural historian Witold Rybczynski points to the 18th century as the golden age of modern chairs. These chairs were defined by new creative flourishes (think ornate furniture you’d see in a castle).
Today, the world’s most expensive chairs typically have historical or artistic value. From designs created for hotels to historically important commissions, these are the top eight most expensive chairs in the world.
- The Egg Chair
- The Panda Banquette Chair
- The Chieftain Chair
- The Kennedy Administration Cabinet Room Chairs
- J.K. Rowling’s Chair
- The Gold Skull Armchair
- Marc Newson’s Lockheed Lounge
- The ‘Dragons’ Armchair
Origin: Denmark
Designer: Arne Jacobsen
Interesting Fact: This chair design was created for the Royal Copenhagen Hotel in Denmark
photo source: elledecor.com
This unique piece of furniture was created by Arne Jacobsen in 1958. Arne was a Danish creative known for his industrial design, but his most broadly known work is probably the Egg chair — a piece of furniture nearly synonymous with mid-century interior design.
Arne Jacobsen’s Egg chair is often mixed up with the Ovalia Egg Chair designed by Henrik Thor-Larsen, which was featured in the movie Men in Black.
Although prices vary, most Egg chairs sell for at least $10,000, but that price can easily climb to $20,000.
Did you know?
The Egg chair was designed for a commission from the Royal Copenhagen Hotel in Denmark. Interestingly, the chair is still produced in Denmark by the same manufacturer — Fritz Hansen.
Origin: Brazil
Designer: The Campana Brothers
Interesting Fact: This is the 20th edition of this chair
photo source: phillips.com
The Campana Brothers are a design team from Brazil. The duo has created a lot of projects over the years, but their 2007 Panda Banquette Chair is probably one of their most eye-catching. The unique chair features stuffed panda toys on a brushed stainless steel frame.
The Campana Brothers made 25 official editions of the Panda Banquette Chair, but they also created four artists’ proofs and four prototypes. This particular chair was number 20 from that official set of 25 — and it sold for approximately $35,000.
Did you know?
The Campana Brothers are based in São Paulo. According to their website, “Their work incorporates their ethos in environment and the idea of re-using and re-inventing everyday materials.”
Origin: Denmark
Designer: Niels Vodder
Interesting Fact: Some say there are fewer than 100 Chieftain chairs in the world
photo source: liveauctioneers.com
The Chieftain Chair was created by Danish designer Niels Vodder. Niels was a cabinet maker by trade, but he made the Chieftain Chair in his workshop in 1949. The design has become an iconic part of 20th-century furniture.
In 2019, one of the few Chieftain Chairs in existence sold for $80,000 — making it the sixth-most expensive chair in the world.
Did you know?
According to design historians, most Chieftain Chairs were predominately made from teak, but some were made from walnut and other expensive woods. Beyond its wood frame, the design’s characteristically thin armrests were created by gluing leather to plate steel.
Origin: The United States
Designer: W. H. Gunlocke Chair Co.
Interesting Fact: These chairs were gifted to President Lyndon B. Johnson by Jackie Kennedy
photo source: sothebys.com
Just a few days after President Kennedy was assassinated, former First Lady Jackie Kennedy gave a gift to the newly appointed President Lyndon B. Johnson. Mrs. Kenedy was still living in the White House at that time, and she felt it necessary to give the new president “something special of Jack’s—that will mean something to you and that he would have wanted you to have.”
The gift turned out to be a set of chairs from President Kennedy’s Cabinet Room.
Decades later, Sotheby’s auction house sold the chairs for $146,500. The company called the historic furniture a set of “Chippendale-style black leather upholstered mahogany open armchairs.”
Did you know?
President Kennedy reportedly tried sitting in several types of chairs during meetings in the Cabinet Room in an effort to alleviate his back pain.
Origin: The U.K.
Designer: Unknown
Interesting Fact: J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter while sitting in this chair
photo source: theguardian.com
J.K. Rowling is famous for writing the iconic Harry Potter books, but did you know she’s also behind the world’s fourth-most expensive chair?
In 2016, J.K. Rowling offered up the chair she sat in while writing Harry Potter. The chair itself features a simple wooden design with standard straight legs and standard back support. The only indicator of its unique story is Rowling’s hand-painted words stating “I wrote Harry Potter while sitting on this chair.”
Amazingly, experts estimated J.K. Rowling’s chair would fetch about $45,000 — but it ended up earning nearly $400,000.
Did you know?
The buyer of this chair remains anonymous
Origin: France
Designer: Harow
Interesting Fact: This chair was built for “comfort and world domination”
photo source: dezeen.com
This chair looks a lot like something a supervillain would own — and the designer seems to like that. The piece of furniture was made by Harow, a French artist working in a variety of fields including painting, sculpture, and furniture design. According to reports, Harow says the Gold Skull Armchair was built for “comfort and world domination.”
The Gold Skull Armchair might be a pretty unique creation, but Harow’s work has always been slightly strange. In fact, this isn’t the artist’s only unique chair. According to his website, Harow made SOLID CHAIR, a chair that appears to be crafted using concrete and rebar.
Did you know?
The Gold Skull Armchair isn’t just called “gold” — it’s actually covered in 24-karat-gold plating.
Origin: Newsom’s workshop
Designer: Marc Newsom
Interesting Fact: This chair was featured in a Madonna music video
photo source: marc-newsom.com
Marc Newson is an Australian designer and is considered one of the most acclaimed creators of his generation. After graduating from the Sydney College of the Arts in 1984, Marc went on to work with a wide variety of materials in several disciplines — including furniture design.
A few years after graduating from college, Marc designed the Lockheed Lounge. Unlike most chairs, this unique creation is made from thin sheets of aluminum welded around an interior body of fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Marc made 10 official editions, one of which was featured in the 1993 music video for “Rain” by Madonna.
In 2015, the Lockheed Lounge from Madonna’s music video went up for auction alongside other pieces created by world-famous designers. The winning bid was placed by an anonymous buyer by phone, landing the chair a price tag of nearly $4 million.
Did you know?
Marc’s Lockheed Lounge was created a few years after he made a similar-looking chair called the LC1 lounge in 1986. According to his website, Marc called the LC1 “too derivative and postmodern,” so he decided to revamp the design — leading to the Lockheed Lounge.
Origin: Europe
Designer: Eileen Gray
Interesting Fact: This chair was part of a complete interior design commission
photo source: huffpost.com
The ‘Dragons’ Armchair is the most expensive chair in the world.
With a price tag of nearly $30 million, this chair is easily the most expensive in the world. The unique piece of furniture was created sometime between 1917 and 1919 by Irish designer and architect Eileen Gray. Eileen is considered an important figure in the history of 20th-century design.
This particular creation was crafted just after World War I when Eileen received her first complete interior design commission. Alongside Eileen’s other creations, the chair went on to stay in the apartment of Mme Mathieu-Lévy. According to experts, many of Eileen’s most iconic designs came from this commission.
Although the ‘Dragons’ armchair may not directly resemble a dragon, historians say the design gets its name from Chinese iconography of dragon’s toying with a pearl as a symbol of strength. “The entire sculptural form of the…armchair could be interpreted as representing a pearl within its shell, encircled by…dragons,” says Christie’s auction house.
Did you know?
Eileen Gray was one of the very first female students to be admitted to theSlade School of Fine Arts in 1901.
